The lake shone brightly under the moonlight, and for the most part, silence was the only sound. The surface of the lake was unbroken as a tall man walked out of the brush, stretching and yawning. He had a handsome face; it suggested he had elven blood somewhere in his family; perhaps a parent of his had been half-elf. Suddenly he stopped short, spying a heap of clothes and weapons laying on the ground beside the shore. Raising an eyebrow, he went to investigate.

Before he could do so, however, the surface of the lake began to ripple, and he made a mad dash for the brush again, just as a head broke the surface. His eyes widened at first, then narrowed. The hair stood out the most; a pure silver that shone under the moonlight. It was long and fine, and it belonged to an elf whose skin was blacker than the night. Slowly, the man reached for his bow and fit an arrow to it, just as the elf began swimming closer to the shore.

As the figure stood up, he noted with surprise that it was female. A female drow? Above ground? Once more the man's eyes narrowed, instantly looking for more drow. Seeing none, he set his sights back on the one in front of him, who had already reached her clothing. He noted she did not put on anything that would indicate battle; but a simple, light cloak. It was not this, however, that captured his attention.

Her beauty was astounding, but it was her beautiful silver hair that made him stare. He fumbled his weapon, making little noise, but enough to put the elf on guard. The first thing she did was to raise the hood of her cloak, covering her bright, shining hair.

"Hair so beautiful should not be covered so shamefully," the hunter said, speaking Common, and stepping out into sight. He was taking a great risk in exposing himself so openly to a drow- but this situation intrigued him. In a flash, the elf had her own bow and arrow at the ready.

"Who are you?" she demanded. Her voice surprised the man. It was not heavy, nor its accent very noticeable. At least- not in the way he had expected. It was elvish, not the accent of Undercommon.

"I would ask you the same question," he countered. "You should know drow are not looked kindly upon in any area of the surface world."

"Drow I am not, even if I may seem. Leave me be, I have no business with you."

"Then you have business with the village nearby? They would be equally as unhappy to see you."

The she-elf looked up, glaring at the man who stood in front of her. "I have no business with them either," she said coldly. "My business is my own, so leave." However, the man merely crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow.

"How did it come to be that a drow speaks such perfect Common?"

"I told you, I am not Drow, even if it seems like I am. My mother was a moon elf."

"Oh, I see. The target of a violent rape no doubt. How does it feel? To know that even if you're not fully drow everyone sees you as such? Likely not even the dark elves of the Underdark would accept the likes of you."

He saw Nuitae's red eyes flash. "Did you come here to torment me? If so it won't work. Unless you have business with me, I suggest that you leave."

"Come now, why so cold? If you are part moon elf there is no reason for you to be so harsh."

This whole time the man was drawing closer and closer, so that he could better see the elf in the light. Sure enough, she looked drow through and through, but she had none of the mannerisms that was typical of the dark elves. Suddenly the drow tackled him, and at first his reaction was to fight; and struggle he did. However, he noticed she was not trying to subdue him, just keep him quiet.

"Quiet!" she said in a harsh whisper, causing the man to grow still. Slowly, the drow sat up. The hood had fallen off of her hair, but she seemed not to notice. She was too busy scanning the trees; her darkvision allowing her to see as easily as if it were the brightest of days.

Deciding that there was nothing there, she turned her gaze back to the man, who had grown quite comfortable. "Modesty is not exactly your concern, is it?" he asked with a grin. Only then did Nuitae notice that she was still wearing nothing but a cloak. With a scowl, she crawled off of him, allowing him to sit up. The man chuckled deep in his chest as he propped himself. "You're certainly commanding like the drow."

"And just how many drow have you met?" Nuitae retorted as she picked up breeches and a tunic. "Certainly not many if you're alive to tell the tale. Or are you actually just a coward?" She started to dress, then shot him a glare. Helpless, he grinned and turned around.

"I'm only a coward if it means I get to live another day. I'm actually quite good at what I do."

"And just what is it you do?"

The man turned around and winked. "Why, I am but a humble traveler, afflicted with the need to see all the world! A scholar, who speaks many tongues! A dabbler in magic but never a master!" Nuitae glared at him. Suddenly, there was noise in the forest. Both Nuitae and the man jumped up, and stared. Nuitae pulled a dagger from her breeches; and he did the same.

"What do you see?" he asked, his tone completely serious. Nuitae peered into the woods.

"Goblins…" Nuitae whispered. She looked up at the moon and frowned. They were sitting ducks out here under such bright light. But then again, so were the goblins to her darkvision. The man only smirked. "And here I thought it would be a challenge!"

"I need my bow," the elf said, looking back to her pile of belongings.

"Then be quick about it, I think they're heading this way." Nuitae needed no more warning. Quick as a flash she was at her things, picking up her bow and fixing an arrow. She let fly- dangerously close to the man in front of her (so close that it almost nicked his ear) and heard the dull thud of the arrow hitting flesh. With her drow vision, she saw the red outline of one of the goblins fade away. Four were left, and they were not happy. In a blind rage, they rushed out of the cover of trees straight for the man and elf. Twice more Nuitae's bow sang, and both arrows hit the same target.

The three remaining goblins ran straight for the man, who twirled his dagger in anticipation. The minute they were within melee range, one goblin attacked, but the man ducked and a well-timed counter landed his dagger right into the foul creature's heart. Quickly, he pulled it out to face the second, taking a deep scratch to his right arm as he did so. However, he disposed of the second goblin as well, but did not see the third. Only the twang of a bowstring and the thud of an arrow caused him to turn around just in time to see his next attack fall to the ground. Grinning, he wiped the dagger on the grass and slipped it back into its hidden compartment.

"That was fun," he said as he approached the elf, who had not moved. He bowed, half-mockingly, to her. "I thank you for the help."

"From the looks of things, neither of us needed the help." It was as close to a 'thank you' or 'you're welcome' that Nuitae could get. The man only continued to grin.

"Name's Treian." The elfmaid regarded him coolly, then slung her bow over her shoulder and picked up the rest of her belongings. "Nuitae'neth."

"That's a long one- kind of difficult for me to pronounce!"

"Then don't say it. It's not as if you will need it after tonight." With that, she pulled her traveling cloak around her and pulled the hood up. "Now, I have business to attend to."

"If you're traveling, you'll need supplies. There's a tavern in the village nearby. If you've the silver, they'll take you. Though I'm not sure if they accept hair as payment!"

Scowling, Nuitae left, leaving Treian with his arms crossed and a wide grin on his face. "This will be one fun adventure," he said quietly.